Dean of the United States Senate

The Dean of the United States Senate is an informal term used to refer to the Senator with the longest continuous service, regardless of party affiliation. This is not an official position within the Senate, although customarily (since 1945) the longest-serving member of the majority party serves as President pro tempore.

The current Dean is Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

List of Deans

Dean(s)	Party	State	Years	First served
James Gunn	Anti-Admin, Democratic-Republican	Georgia	1789–1797	1789
John Langdon	Pro-Admin, Democratic-Republican	New Hampshire
and others
James Gunn	Democratic-Republican	Georgia	1797–1801
John Langdon	Democratic-Republican	New Hampshire
Theodore Foster	Democratic-Republican	Rhode Island	1801–1803	1790
John Brown	Democratic-Republican	Kentucky	1803–1805	1791
James Hillhouse	Federalist	Connecticut	1805–1810	1796
Joseph Anderson	Democratic-Republican	Tennessee	1810–1815	1797
John Gaillard	Democratic-Republican	South Carolina	1815–1826	1804
Benjamin Ruggles	National Republican	Ohio	1826–1833	1815
William R. King	Democratic	Alabama	1833–1844	1819
Thomas Hart Benton	Democratic	Missouri	1844–1851	1821
Willie Person Mangum	Whig	North Carolina	1851–1853	1831, 1840
James Pearce	Whig	Maryland	1853–1862	1843
James A. Bayard, Jr.	Democratic	Delaware	1862–1864	1851
Solomon Foot	Republican	Vermont
Solomon Foot	Republican	Vermont	1864–1866
Benjamin F. Wade	Republican	Ohio	1866–1869
Charles Sumner	Republican	Massachusetts	1869–1874
Zachariah Chandler	Republican	Michigan	1874–1875	1857
Henry B. Anthony	Republican	Rhode Island	1875–1884	1859
George F. Edmunds	Republican	Vermont	1884–1891	1866
Justin Smith Morrill	Republican	Vermont	1891–1898	1867
William B. Allison	Republican	Iowa	1898–1908	1873
Eugene Hale	Republican	Maine	1908–1911	1881
William P. Frye	Republican	Maine	1911	1881
Shelby Moore Cullom	Republican	Illinois	1911–1913	1883
Jacob Harold Gallinger	Republican	New Hampshire	1913–1918	1891
Henry Cabot Lodge	Republican	Massachusetts	1918–1924	1893
Francis E. Warren	Republican	Wyoming	1924–1929	1895
Furnifold M. Simmons	Democratic	North Carolina	1929–1931	1901
Reed Smoot	Republican	Utah	1931–1933	1903
William E. Borah	Republican	Idaho	1933–1940	1907
Ellison D. Smith	Democratic	South Carolina	1940–1944	1909
Kenneth McKellar	Democratic	Tennessee	1944–1953	1917
Walter F. George	Democratic	Georgia	1953–1957	1922
Carl Hayden	Democratic	Arizona	1957–1969	1927
Richard Russell, Jr.	Democratic	Georgia	1969–1971	1933
Allen J. Ellender	Democratic	Louisiana	1971–1972	1937
George D. Aiken	Republican	Vermont	1972–1975	1941
James Eastland	Democratic	Mississippi	1975–1977	1941, 1943
John L. McClellan	Democratic	Arkansas		1943
James Eastland	Democratic	Mississippi	1977–1978	1941, 1943
Warren G. Magnuson	Democratic	Washington	1978–1981	1944
John C. Stennis	Democratic	Mississippi	1981–1989	1947
J. Strom Thurmond	Republican	South Carolina	1989–2003	1954, 1956
Robert C. Byrd	Democratic	West Virginia	2003–2010	1959
Daniel Inouye	Democratic	Hawaii	2010–2012	1963
Patrick Leahy	Democratic	Vermont	2012–present	1975

Party Deans

For additional information here is a list of most senior Democratic and Republican Senators.

Democratic

• Patrick Leahy (Vermont), 2012–present
• Daniel Inouye (Hawaii), 2010–2012
• Robert Byrd (West Virginia), 1989–2010
• John C. Stennis (Mississippi), 1981–1989
• Warren Magnuson (Washington), 1978–1981
• James Eastland (Mississippi), 1972–1978
• Allen J. Ellender (Louisiana), 1971–1972
• Richard B. Russell (Georgia), 1969–1971
• Carl Hayden (Arizona), 1957–1969
• Walter F. George (Georgia), 1953–1957
• Kenneth McKellar (Tennessee), 1944–1953
• Ellison D. Smith (South Carolina), 1931–1944
• Furnifold McLendel Simmons (North Carolina), 1923–1931
• Charles Allen Culberson (Texas), 1919–1923
• Thomas S. Martin, (Virginia), 1918–1919
• Benjamin Tillman (South Carolina), 1910–1918

Republican

• Orrin Hatch (Utah), 2013–present
• Richard Lugar (Indiana), 2009–2013
• Ted Stevens (Alaska), 2003–2009
• Strom Thurmond (South Carolina), 1981–2003
• Milton R. Young (North Dakota), 1975–1981
• George Aiken (Vermont), 1961–1975
• Styles Bridges (New Hampshire), 1951–1961
• Arthur Vandenberg (Michigan), 1949–1951
• Arthur Capper (Kansas), 1945–1949
• Hiram W. Johnson (California), 1940–1945
• William E. Borah (Idaho) 1933–1940
• Reed Smoot (Utah), 1929–1933
• Francis E. Warren (Wyoming), 1924–1929
• Henry Cabot Lodge (Massachusetts), 1918–1924
• Jacob H. Gallinger (New Hampshire), 1913–1918
• Shelby Moore Cullom (Illinois), 1911–1913
• William P. Frye (Maine), 1911

See also

• Baby of the United States Senate
• Oldest living United States president
• List of the oldest living members of the United States House of Representatives
• Dean of the United States House of Representatives
• Longest living United States Senator
• Earliest serving United States Senator
• Oldest living United States governor
• List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service

References

• Senators of the United States